Indonesia indigenous group requests internet blackout

An indigenous community in Indonesia has requested an internet blackout in their area to minimise the “negative impact” of the online world, officials said Friday.

The Baduy, a community of 26,000 people in Banten province on Java island, divide themselves into an outer group that partly adopts technology, and a sacred inner group that shuns the trappings of contemporary life.

The inner group asked authorities to shut down internet reception or divert nearby telecom towers so the signal would not reach them, according to a letter seen by AFP.

“This request is a part of our efforts to minimise the negative impact of smartphones on our people,” Baduy representatives wrote. They argued telecommunication towers built near their area could threaten their way of life and the morals of young people who may be tempted to use the internet.

Officials in the district of Lebak told AFP they received the letter on Monday, and had agreed to talk with Indonesia’s information ministry to try and comply with the request.